This re-design centered around a 676 ball BGA component. A total of 23 of the balls on the BGA were not connected where they needed to be. The only viable solution involved re-routing. That's a significant re-design under any circumstances. It would have been easier if the pads that required re-routing were on the perimeter of the BGA layout, but such was not the case. The newly routed pads had to extend from the center of the component to outside of the package footprint so that wires could be added to the newly ...Feature Story

Per IPC-610 acceptability standards, would you accept or reject this BGA solder joint? Is this level of voids something we should try hard to reduce? I have heard that some level of voids within a BGA solder joint can actually improve reliability. Is this true ...Ask the Experts

In this study, SAC305 solder bumps from lead-free components were replaced with SnPb solder bumps. A series of tests and inspections were carried out to evaluate the reliability of these reballed components. After the reballing operation, the solder bump sizes were measured and they exhibited 'good' dimensional consistency ...Technical Library

Press-in fasteners are a simple, yet very important element of printed circuit assembly. When inserted properly, and in the correct location, press-in fasteners provide an elegant solution to various chassis, heat sink, stiffener, and other hardware mounting demands. The potential problem with press-in fasteners is in the nature of their mounting. The end with teeth is fitted by force into a hole that is smaller than ...Feature Story

The electronics industry has hit a barrier. Just as the fundamental technology of car engines has not progressed since 1920, the same is happening to electronics. Mobile phones and computers are no more powerful in 2017 than in 2012. That is why a new 2D printing technique, explained recently in Nature Communications, is so important. By creating many layers of incredibly thin electronic chips on the ...Technology Briefing